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Twenty years a Volunteer Librarian in Ethiopia

After a six-month library fellowship sponsored by the United States Information Agency and the American Library Association in 1997, there have been a series of small volunteer trainings and consultancies in Ethiopia spanning two decades. The first Ethiopia library consulting work and training was initiated at the National Library of Ethiopia and after that I networked with colleagues at Addis Ababa University Libraries, with academic libraries in rural areas, and with private libraries open to the community. These are short offerings varying from half-day workshops to some months of training and taught in an interactive way.

My work at the J. Willard Marriott Library is a social science librarian position involved with collection development, library instruction, library projects, and committee work at the University of Utah and the American Library Association. I work closely with students, faculty, and staff and I try and offer research assistance to them.

Marie standing next to a statue bust of JFK.
Marie Paiva at the entrance of the JFK Library, Addis Ababa University.

Questions from Ethiopian colleagues led to short-term training on how to improve customer training, acquisitions assistance, help with cataloging, library security, the Library of Congress system, and book repair. These were some of the topics asked for and discussed. After the library instruction sessions, librarians and library staff stated they felt more encouraged and confident as they continued their role in serving library users.

The country of Ethiopia is a landlocked land in northeastern Africa in a region referred to as the Horn of Africa.  It is the only country in that continent not colonized and in 1995 held its first elections. Ethiopia is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa to have its own language scripts, including Ge’ez, a language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Islamic documents written in Arabic language are also widely held in libraries. English is taught beginning in secondary school and is the language used at the university level.

Libraries are valued and cherished in Ethiopia today. Libraries have given students and researchers the opportunity and environment to study and learn, which they may not have had previously. They are very appreciative of library resources, no matter how out-of-date they might be.

Like many developing nations, Ethiopia is a constantly evolving society and has observed numerous rapid changes over the years. Electricity can be off from time-to-time due to planned and unplanned power cuts. The internet was not readily available 20 years ago, but is now found in most of the country when there are connections. Water has always been problematic and makes conditions at work and home inconvenient at times.

Volunteering in libraries in Ethiopia has been at times challenging and quite rewarding at other times, which makes work there a unique experience and keeps me on my toes. My work in Ethiopia has made me more conscious of University of Utah international community concerns, with students whose first language is not English and of different cultural and learning styles; this, hopefully, makes me a more tolerant individual.

Tea break after the Library Training session at Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa.
A group of people sitting outside listening to a presentation given by someone standing up.
Outdoor Library Training South Omo Research Center, Jinka